December 2020 highlights
YU Highlights
Week 51: 14-18 December 2020
Reports
Please click here for the Executive Summary and the Full Report
"As the UK emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic ‘Build Back Better’ has become the mantra. Important, but we need to Build Back Fairer. The levels of social, environmental and economic inequality in society are damaging health and wellbeing.
It was the principles of fairness and the need to do things differently that animated the concrete recommendations we set out in our February 10 Years On Review, just before the pandemic hit with such devastating intensity. Inequalities in mortality from COVID-19 and rising health inequalities as a result of social and economic impacts, have made such action even more important."
Download the State of the Relationship Report 2020 here.
"As the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 began last week, the value of collaborations between academia and industry had arguably never been so clearly on display.
As we gradually emerge from the Covid-19 health crisis, and start to face up to its enormous impact on our economy and labour market, these collaborations will be needed to drive recovery once more."
Key points:
"Since 2017/18, nurse numbers have increased, with the number of FTE nurses and health visitors in the NHS rising by 4.8% in the year to June 2020.
However, disparities between service areas continue to widen. Over the past 10 years, only adult nursing and children’s nursing have seen increases in FTE nurse numbers, while the numbers in community nursing, mental health nursing and learning disability nursing are all lower than they were in June 2010.
Across all staff groups, the NHS had 83,591 FTE vacancies in June 2020. A quarter of all nursing vacancies are in mental health. This is particularly concerning as COVID-19 is likely to lead to further demand for mental health services.
In 2020 there was a 23% increase in the number of students accepted onto nursing degree courses in England (relative to 2019) – the highest annual number of acceptances since 2011.
The UK ranks below the average of high-income OECD countries in terms of the number of practising nurses and the annual number of new nurse graduates relative to its population.
Further, about 15% of registered nurses in the UK are trained outside the UK – more than double the OECD average.
The 50,000 target will be insufficient to meet increased demand. We argue there needs to be a shift in focus, away from a single top-down target to a more sustainable, long-term approach."
This annual report provides an overview of progress made by West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership (WY&H HCP), Improving Population Health Programme in 2019/2020. It describes the achievements of the programme over the past 12 months, including how the work has developed and adapted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to meet people’s needs. The report is an opportunity to take stock, reflect on current and future population health needs and identify where we are making a positive difference.
"The COVID-19 pandemic caused the largest economic shock in 300 years. The impact has not been shared equally. Some businesses saw revenues rise during the pandemic, but others subjected to strict public health restrictions—such as those in the hospitality, non-food retail and entertainment sectors—are in crisis. Many higher paid workers experienced little or no economic hardship, whereas the youngest and lowest paid workers have experienced significant damage to their livelihoods and prospects. This should be recognised in plans for the recovery.
During the pandemic, the Government has provided economic support to keep people in work and businesses afloat. Nevertheless, unemployment could reach 7.5%, or 2.6 million people, during 2021 as wage support is withdrawn. Over the next 12–18 months, the Government will need to continue to spend to generate a sustainable recovery and to address rising poverty and unemployment. The priority now should be to promote growth. In this report we set out a plan for what should be done."
Blogs
'The ‘West Yorkshire Way’ to policy engagement: Place-Based Economic Recovery Network (PERN)' by Andy Mycock in UPEN blogs
The University of Huddersfield's Andy Mycock discusses place-based policy engagement as the region looks to elect its first metro mayor in May 2021.
"Over the past decade, the UK government has sought to develop decentralise policy-making within England through the transfer of powers, budgets and responsibilities to directly-elected mayors through a series of city or combined authority 'deals' with local government leaders. Westminster has also sought to boost local and regional economies by investing in skills, innovation, transport and culture to 'level up' England and create a 'Northern Powerhouse'. The extent of regional devolution in England now means that nearly half its population and many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are now covered by a mayoral devolution deal."
Evelyn Wilson introduces a new centre focused on capturing and recording the many benefits of knowledge exchanges between universities and the cultural sector.
"Last month we at The Cultural Capital Exchange (TCCE) launched a new National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange (NCACE) funded by Research England to run over the next four years. The purpose of the centre is to facilitate and support capacity for Knowledge Exchange between higher education and the arts and cultural sector across the country and to evidence and showcase the social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of such activities. It’s four areas of work are:
Collaboration Support and Networking
Skills and Capacity Development
Evidence Building and Impact Development
Showcasing and Communications."
This is the text of a speech by Nick Hillman to Amazon Web Services’s (AWS) Higher Education Transformation Week.
"Thank you for inviting me to speak at this important event. For those of you who don’t know, the Higher Education Policy Institute or HEPI is the UK’s only think tank that specialises in higher education. We are supported by higher education institutions up and down the UK as well as a small number of corporates. Last week, we published our first ever report on how universities and colleges might respond to climate change and later this week we are hosting an online balloon debate about the right age to start academic selection – do come along."
"It's been quite the week for OfS publications. Today (16/12/20) we get an ad-hoc data release on what impact ethnicity has on student continuation and applicant access in England. Put together for the Westminster government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities we get high level subject (STEM or not-STEM) and provider group (tariff groups) splits on continuation and non-continuation rates for the four academic years up to 2017-18. If you are thinking about the content of the recent letter to the equalities minister from the Commission, and how it said that:"
"One of the last non-virtual gatherings (remember those?) I attended this year was the Climate + Culture + Collaboration event organised by Culture Forum North on the 27th of February. At the time of registering to it, I remember thinking it will be a treat to participate in something that combines professional and personal interests on the same date as my birthday, so I was really looking forward to it."
SIGN Collaborative Research Grants
The Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN) is a new project based at the University of York, which aims to empower people and support economic growth in the screen industries in Yorkshire and the Humber. Working across TV, film, games and other digital media, SIGN combines the University of York’s research excellence with a strong, collaborative focus on diversity and inclusion, business support, and skills and training.
We welcome applications for research projects which contribute to the activities of SIGN. Applicants can bid for up to £40,000 for research to be conducted over a maximum of 12 months. Research teams must include academics from at least two of the region’s higher education institutions and propose interdisciplinary research.
We have developed thematic research areas to guide applications. These are priority areas for SIGN and the region’s screen industries, and applications should centre on one or more of these.
Diversity and Inclusion research areas:
Career trajectories of people leaving the screen industries
Career progression and journeys through the screen industries, particularly progression to higher levels
Diversity and inclusion schemes: what does and doesn’t work?
Skills and Training research areas:
Skills and training needs to build sustainable screen industries – what skills do workers need to support carbon-zero aspirations?
Identification of best practice for addressing skills needs and gaps in the screen industries
The effectiveness of job descriptions for recruitment and skills matching
Business Support research areas:
Production-related research looking at changes in processes, production methods or content design that are emerging as a result of Covid
Emerging means of maximising monetisation of content across media that are relevant to independent producers
Emergence of Virtual Production and its viability for independent producers
The geographical focus of research does not need to be Yorkshire and the Humber. Our priority is identifying useful insights for the region’s screen industries which may be drawn from elsewhere in the UK, Europe and wider world.
We’re keen to see applications from across arts, humanities, social sciences and computer and information sciences who can provide informed insights into the screen industries through their research.
The deadline for applications is Monday 8th February, 2021 at midday.
For more information, please see the scheme’s webpages which contain the full call document, FAQs and a short news piece about development of the scheme. For enquiries about this scheme, please email enquiries@screen-network.org.uk
Week 50: 7-11 December 2020
Reports & papers
The Covid-19 pandemic has destabilised our present and will profoundly affect our social, economic and political future. As we begin to emerge from the initial stages of the crisis, we need to use the power of anchor institutions to help with the economic recovery.
This guide explains the conditions that are required for networks of anchor intuitions to flourish and draws upon our learning from the Birmingham Anchor Network. Here we provide a practical illustration as to how groups of anchors can adopt progressive strategies in relation to procurement, employment, as well as land and property assets to assist in rescuing, recovering and reforming local economies in the wake of Covid-19.
The Higher Education Policy Institute is publishing its first ever report on climate change. Beyond business as usual: Higher education in the era of climate change by Keri Facer, Zennström Professor of Climate Change Leadership at Uppsala University and Professor of Educational and Social Futures at the University of Bristol, outlines how universities and colleges can help lead the UK’s strategy for tackling climate change.
Drawing on powerful case studies and a robust analytical framework, Professor Facer presents recommendations for how policymakers, staff and students can approach the ‘wicked problem’ of climate change. She makes a compelling case that universities and colleges have a key role to play in addressing the climate crisis, from COP26 (the next UN climate conference) in Glasgow to the Government’s levelling-up agenda and informing the public about the changing climate and ecological collapse. To make the changes necessary, universities and colleges must act meaningfully and swiftly and not just ‘greenwash’ their activities.
The Sixth Carbon Budget, required under the Climate Change Act, provides ministers with advice on the volume of greenhouse gases the UK can emit during the period 2033-2037.
"Universities and colleges picking up the pace on sustainability, but must address curriculum reform. More universities and colleges than ever from across the UK and Ireland have shown their commitment to sustainability over the last year. The 2020 Sustainability Leadership Scorecard Annual Report shows an increase of 69% of institutions actively embedding sustainability across their leadership, governance, learning, teaching, research, estates, operations and partnerships. However, institutions are urged to act now to address the need for sustainability to be incorporated into the curriculum, and make sure they have a Climate Change Adaptation plan."
Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Glen Bramley, Janice Blenkinsopp, Jenny Wood, Filip Sosenko, Mandy Littlewood, Sarah Johnsen, Beth Watts, Morag Treanor and Jill McIntyre
This study, the third in the Destitution in the UK series, reveals that even before the COVID-19 outbreak destitution was rapidly growing in scale and intensity. Since 2017 many more households, including families with children, have been pushed to the brink.
IPPR:
Last year’s State of the North report revealed the extent of the UK’s deep regional divides. This year, we consider what this means for people in the North, asking who is most impacted by these pre-existing divides, and by policies that seek to change them.
Covid-19 has thrown our long-term inequities and lack of resilience into a stark spotlight. A recovery that simply restores the old order would be unsustainable and – for many – unacceptable.
In this report we set out some of the ways in which the North’s economy does not, currently, create the conditions for a good life for everyone in the region – and how a truly ‘levelled up’ North might look.
The government’s manifesto contained ambitious pledges on the economy and health. However, to achieve these aims we need a coordinated approach to health and the economy, nationally and locally.
The economic gains from reducing place-based health inequality could be significant, and doing so is crucial for our national economy, local prosperity, and our recovery from Covid-19.
Local government has a pivotal role in achieving these gains. This report outlines policy to make health improvement a joint enterprise between local and national government, and recommends three ‘paradigm shifts’ for a new approach to health and prosperity.
From #BuildBackBetter and Black Lives Matter to net zero – 2020 has been characterised by calls for a better and more sustainable future.
This paper explores how we can better design public policy to support a rapid and fair transition to net zero and the restoration of nature. There is detail of four case studies – from Germany, from Gothenburg, Sweden, and Pittsburgh, US, together, from Alberta, Canada, and from here in the UK – originating from a roundtable series held throughout 2020 exploring examples of just transition from around the world.
This is CPP's second levelling up outlook tracking the country’s progress in reducing economic inequalities in the context of the ongoing crisis.
It is using the latest official statistics and other reliable data to publish the outlook every quarter. This month’s edition is being published alongside CPP’s policy paper on industrial strategy – A gear change for growth: devolving industrial policy to help local economies thrive.
LSE: Institutions and the uneven geography of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic by Andrés Rodríguez-Pose and Chiara Burlina
Paper No. 16 Geography and Environment Discussion Paper Series, November 2020. Papers in Economic Geography and Spatial Economics
Abstract: This paper examines the uneven geography of COVID-19-related excess mortality during the first wave of the pandemic in Europe, before assessing the factors behind the geographical differences in impact. The analysis of 206 regions across 23 European countries reveals a distinct COVID-19 geography. Excess deaths were concentrated in a limited number of regions —expected deaths exceeded 20% in just 16 regions— with more than 40% of the regions considered experiencing no excess mortality during the first six months of 2020. Highly connected regions, in colder and dryer climates, with high air pollution levels, and relatively poorly endowed health systems witnessed the highest incidence of excess mortality. Institutional factors also played an important role. The first wave hit regions with a combination of weak and declining formal institutional quality and fragile informal institutions hardest. Low and declining national government effectiveness, together with a limited capacity to reach out across societal divides, and a frequent tendency to meet with friends and family were powerful drivers of regional excess mortality.
A co-produced summary report with Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network (Y&H AHSN) exploring the rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic among health and care partners across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw.
"York’s Creative Future has inclusion and participation at its core, and the commitment to ensure that culture is relevant and accessible to everybody in York – regardless of age, background or postcode. It places culture at the heart of activities from major capital developments, to residents’ wellbeing – and will work to ensure cultural entitlement for every child.
The Culture Strategy has the ambition to transform York – and by 2025 we believe York will be known as a city where outstanding, renowned heritage comes together with a cutting-edge and contemporary approach to creativity – reflecting the city’s rich history and its status as the UK’s first UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts."
Blogs & webinars
By Professor Simon Collinson, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Regional Engagement at the University of Birmingham and Director of the West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WM REDI) and City-REDI.
This is part two of a two-part blog on R&D, innovation and regional growth, following an academic forum hosted by WM-REDI and UKRI that discussed the evidence that should inform the government's place R&D strategy. Part one is available here.
New OfS data uncharacteristically treats place and subject as a pure market in higher education provision - for David Kernohan more nuance (and more data) is needed.
Webinars:
You will be able to watch the ‘YHealth for Growth: One Year On’ webinar here and the Productivity Insights Network webinar on Research and Innovation in the North of England here.
Week 49: 30 November - 4 December 2020
The Green Book: appraisal and evaluation in central government
HM Treasury guidance on how to appraise and evaluate policies, projects and programmes and all related documents can be found on the govt. website including the Final Report of the 2020 Green Book Review.
Reports and analysis
OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance presents indicators on individual regions and cities to assess disparities within countries and their evolution since the turn of the new millennium. Each indicator is illustrated by graphs and maps. A dynamic link (StatLink) is provided for each graph and map, which directs the user to a web page where the corresponding data are available in Excel. The report covers all OECD countries and, where data is available, partner countries and economies.
This paper provides an overview of the evidence and analysis in relation to coronavirus and the health, economic and social effects of the government’s tiered approach.
"There is a striking absence at the heart of the English education system, a missing middle. This refers to the lack of students enrolled in higher technical education (HTE) in programmes that sit just below the level of bachelor's degrees at levels 4 and 5 in the English qualifications system. But research shows that we need skills at this level; not all occupations require the three years of degree study which have become the norm in English post-secondary education; many successful advanced economies make extensive use of HTE. So England needs a stronger, larger HTE system. This report looks at what we can learn from other countries to make this happen. "
"In August 2020, leaders from the NHS, local government, community businesses and a range of invited experts attended a roundtable event, which revealed an appetite to reimagine our relationship with the high street and realise the role of health in supporting economic and social recovery, particularly in light of COVID-19.
This report summarises the roundtable discussions and provides recommendations of how the NHS, local authorities and local enterprise partnerships can seize the opportunity to put health at the heart of our place to address health inequalities, offer additional capacity for health service delivery and attract more people into their local high street, while encouraging healthier lifestyles."
"There is huge potential for economic stimulus provided by a programme of housing decarbonisation in the north of England. Not only are warmer, healthier homes with lower emissions crucial to our journey to a net zero carbon future, but they could also form a key element in the government’s efforts to ‘level up’ the North’s economy in a time of pandemic."
"The 2020 annual review reflects on a year of challenge and resilience for English higher education. It looks at our support to students and the sector during the pandemic, and sets out our priorities for 2021."
Blogs & a webinar
'Stepping off the hamster wheel: how a limited perspective can obscure the essential' by Simone Biutendijk
"Unless you are a hamster, being in a hamster wheel is never a good thing (and I do sometimes wonder about hamsters, too). You run hard, but you are not getting anywhere. You run even harder, and you are still not getting anywhere. You realise it is pointless and stressful, but somehow stopping and jumping off doesn’t seem to be an option. The frantic activity is mind-numbing, but there is this overwhelming sense of having to keep going or worse things will happen. Yet it is not at all clear who exactly makes you run, and especially not why?"
'The Green Book User Group – Strong Foundations for Better Intervention Development' by City REDI. Rebecca Riley discusses the formation of the Green Book User Group and an event to launch the latest Green Book:
"The Green Book is a great tool for better decision-making, not a compliance code. Yet we all often hear the term “Green Book compliant” business cases as though it is a formal tick book exercise. But that was never the vision for its authors, for whom the purpose of the Green Book is to ensure the effective management and use of resources. All in all, it’s an aid to scoping, appraising and planning successfully delivery of better policies, programme and projects, that will lead to better outcomes for people, business and place."
'Building Back Better: Why Early Stage Cleantech Financing is Critical for a Sustainable Productive Economy' by Theresa Harrer and Robyn Owen
"In the midst of the perfect storm of economic destruction delivered by Brexit and COVID-19, the UK government faces the dilemma of balancing the two key policy priorities pertaining to economic efficiency and the drive for productivity and global competitiveness (HM Government Industrial Strategy, 2017) and the requirements of a sustainable low carbon net zero economy (HM Government, Green Finance Strategy 2019). These are presented in the recent UK government’s designated Grand Challenge for ‘Clean Growth’ and promise of £2.5bn investment into low carbon innovation. Yet, much of this challenge necessarily focuses on large infrastructural projects to address renewable energy generation projects such as windfarms, electric vehicle (EV) transport infrastructure and construction."
Matching people hours and jobs: building back without under-employment by the Productivity Insights Network
Professor Colin Lindsay of the University of Strathclyde blogs on recent research by Strathclyde Business School and the University of Portsmouth on drivers of under-employment, and what we can do to build back towards workplaces where people have access to the hours and shifts that they need.
"There has been much discussion of the need, and opportunity, to build back better following the Covid-19 crisis. While much of the focus has rightly been on responding to the coming unemployment crisis, there is also a sense that we need to grasp the opportunity to create a ‘new normal’ that addresses some of the long-standing inequalities in the UK labour market."
Jointly delivered with the Civic University Network, this webinar heard from leaders across the university and NHS landscape involved in pushing the boundaries of traditional institutional leadership. The event was used to start a conversation, supporting the identification of the key themes to take forward and areas for collaborations to drive this agenda forward.
Hosted by Philippa Lloyd (vice-principal for policy and strategic partnerships, Queen Mary University London) and Michael Wood (head of health economic partnerships, NHS Confederation), the webinar included an opening statement from each speaker followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the audience.
The panel included:
Lord Victor Adebowale CBE: Chair, NHS Confederation and Chancellor, University of Lincoln. Twitter @voa1234
Dame Jackie Daniel: CEO, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Twitter @jackiedanielNHS
Dr Farzana Hussain: GP, Clinical Director for Newham Central One PCN and Co-chair, National PCN Network at the NHS Confederation . Twitter @fhussain73
Peter O’Brien: Executive Director of Yorkshire Universities. Twitter @obrienpeter72 @YorkshireUnis
DfE: HE communications toolkit on end of term messaging for students
Covid-19 Communications Pack - FINAL - November 2020.pdfMIT REAP BUILD Programme details
YU_innovation driven entrepreneurship_041120.pdfComms pack for Universities.pptx.pdf